Process for making improved oil well weighting materials



Patented pr. 14, 1942 l UNITED STATES." PATENT OFFICE.

PROCESS FOR MAKING IMPROVED on.

WELL WEIGHTING MATERIALS Leslie Roth Harrison, Jr., Malvern, Ark assignor to Magnet Cove Barium" Corporation, Malvern, Ark., a corporation of Arkansas No Drawing. Application March 28, 1941,

\ Serial No. 385,758

14 Claims. (C1. 252-8.5)

My invention relates to improvements in procbe varied considerably, and I have found that ess for making improved oil well weighting the quantity to be used per ton of ground barite materials. may vary'as much as from .05 to 5. pounds. The

My invention relates to the production of oil amount of unsaponifiable oil used inthe process well weighting materials for use as oil well drillmay vary from .0 W25. pounds per ton, and likeing muds." In the past, ground materials such wise the amount of inorganic acids, alkalies, or as barite have been commonly used as oil well salts used may vary 'from .0 to 25. pounds per weighting materials, but this material per se ton. All quantities are based on pounds of rehas not always proven itself to be entirely satis agents per 2,000, pounds (one ton) 'of, ground factory. For example: Many products have such weighting material. The percent. of solids of and thereby gumming up the machinery. I have found from experimentation that from An object of'my invention is to produce an imto 30% of solids in'mixing is the most desir'- proved oil well weigh-ting material by the use of lo able proportion, ground barite to which small quantities of wet In many cases itmay be desirable to agitate ting agents have been added, together with unthe mass of weighting material and wetting saponifiable oils, acids, alkalies or salts, and subagent at a low percentsolids'in water, subsesequently calcined in order to remove the air quen ly thi kenin .it in a metallu l thickavid effect of the Wetting agents ener tank, and then filter it in any of various A further object is to provide a weighting types of filters. By following this procedure of material which may be satisfactorily used as an thickening and ii ering the slurry, the emciency oil well drilling mud," and which will not apof calcmation may be greatly increased. preciably lower the apparent weight in the well After having made a thorough mixture of the by virtue of the fact that the material is devoid ground barite or weighting material with the of the air avid effect usually present in ground Wetting or detergent s, I then calcine the barite or similar substances. mixture in suitable apparatus under suitably A further object is to provide a weighting controlled heat regulation. It may be found material, the viscositycharacteristics of which satisfactory to heat the calcining mixture only are materially lowered. sufliciently to vaporize the wetting materials, or

To produce my improved weighting material it may .be desired to increase the heat to the I have found that by combining and mixing necessary extent to burn or completely oxydize ground natural barite in wet pulp with small the Wetting age ts. In some instances, I have quantities of organic wetting agents, thoroughly found that a desirable temperature during the coating the ground particles of barite and t calcining process is approximately 900 F. Other by subsequently calcining the resultant mixture, satisfactory temperatures for the calcining or that the wetting agent may be removed from heat treatment of the mixture may vary considthe mix, and thereby leave the ground mineral erably to as high as the order of 900 C. Lower in a condition to be more satisfactorily used as temperatures may start volatilization, but by the an oil well weighting material. 40 use of a temperature of the higher order the wet- In preparing my improved oil well weighting ting agents and inorganic chemicals may be material, I use around natural barite ore and pr p rly and m rap d y removed a d th y add thereto suitable organic wetting agents produce the desired weighting material.

either alone or in combination with unsaponifi- To clarify the situation and to define some of table hydrocarbon oils, and/or inorganic acids, the terms which have been used in the above alkalies or salts, such wetting agents, for exspecification, Ihave used the term wetting agents ample as saturated fatty acids, unsaturated fatty as they are commonly called and widely used in acids, saturated fatty acid soaps, unsaturated the textile industry, namely organic chemical refatty acid Soaps, te fatty acids, sulagents that have a property of wetting textile phated fatty acids, others of the wetting type material in a suitable manner to prepare the of chemicals, too numerous to mention." By material 80 that it may be m h m r sily what I have called unsaponifiable hydrocarbon dyed. Common wetting agents are soaps, fatty oils I have in mind gas oil, kerosene, fuel oil, acids, and sulphonates. In referring to unetc v saponiflable oils, I refer particularly to oils such The amount of wetting agents to be used may as gas-oil, kerosen fuel oils. e m i E avid means that a mineral is imparted surface properties which tend to make it attach to air bubbles rather than be filmed with liquid. The barite referred to herein is intended to mean natural or mineral barite which has not beensubsimilar purifijected to any special bleaching or cation unrelated to its use as a drill weighting material.

Iclaim:

1. The method of conditioning barite as'a weighting material comprising mixing the same higher fatty acids,'and soaps 10;: r ing materialfcomprising mixing the same with in a watery pulp with a wetting agent, thickening and filtering due.

2. The method of treating ground barite to imthe mixture, and calciningthelresi prove the same as a drilling fluid weighting mate-v rial comprising mixing the same with a wetting agent and calcining to a move the wetting agent.

3. A water avid barite conditioned for use a's' a drilling fluid weighting material by mixing nor rnal barite with a wetting agent and'ca'lcinin'g .to

thewetting" agent a degree suflicient to remove and destroy an avidity.

i. The method ofconditioning taste, as

weighting material comprising mixing. thesame degree sufficient to re-- organic acids, alkalies and salts, andcalcining to remove the wetting agent.

7. The method of conditioning barite as a weighting material comprising mixing the same with a wetting agent selected from thegroup consisting" of higher saturated arid unsaturated fatty acids, sulphonated, higher fatty acids, sulphated thereof, and calcining the same to remove the wetting agent.

= 85A method of'conditioning barite as a Weighthigher fatty acids, and calcining.

9. A method ofconditioning barite as a weighting material comprising mixing the same with a higher fattyacid, the fatty acid being a sulphated 'fatty acidf and calcining.

'10." A' method of conditioning barite as a "is-weighting material comprising mixing the same with a mixture of a wetting agent and anTinorganic substance selected from the group consisting of inorganic acids, alkalies, and salts, and

calcining at a temperature up to about 900C,

5. The method of conditioning 'barite as g 'a weighting material comprising fmixing the same with a mixture of a wetting agent, an unsaponifiable oil, and an inorganic substancefs'el'ected from the group consisting alkalies, andsalts, and calcining.

6. A weighting material for o invi' 191 I drilling muds f; comprising water-avid barite formed by mixing natural barite with a wetting agent, an inorganic I substance and an unsaponifiable oil, theiinorganic substancebeing selectedfrom the groupfoifina sw naae me e a a a tadwith a wetting agent, thewettingagent beinga. higher'f attyacid" soap iselectegilfrorri", the group consisting of saturated may acid 'sdaps," unsaturated fatty acid soaps, sulphonatedfatty'acid soaps, and sulphated fatty ci cini gi ILI'AJImeth d ofllconditioning b'arite as a tin mat r 9Qm sin .,-m xine"t sa e acid, the r tt' fa id being a with a higher fa ty I mino, sulphated Iattyacid, an calcining.

1.2 ,1A metho'd or can t ng ma e a ab rris with a highe rifatty 'acid soap, andcalcinin'g,

13,. A method'fof conditioning .barit 'e fas a weighting jmaterial co'rnifrri'singi mixing the same calcining;

1,4,:A'f method '1 of conditioning barite" as" a weighting material comprising", mixing thei's'ame m'i'a sulphated mgnefratt acid: soap," and cab timings-M ditioning barite a a mixingthe same Laminates.- p 

